C4 Exchange Conditions

On the morning of the 19th, Prof. Sun, his hair now a silvery gray, was tending to the potted plants he had recently cultivated at a retirement home for former officials in J City.

He was a kindly, slightly portly old man with gold-rimmed glasses, exuding the air of a seasoned scholar.

Yet, this same gentleman was once hailed by the military as the Heavy Machine of H Country, a recipient of numerous scientific accolades and honors. He was the linchpin of J City's military research efforts.

But those days were a memory of his youth.

Now, Prof. Sun had reached an age where he could comfortably retire. Neither his physical strength nor his health would permit him to continue his work in weapons research. Thus, he had resolved to live out his days in the tranquility of this modest retirement home.

Just then, footsteps approached from outside the courtyard, followed by a voice calling out, "Prof. Sun, there's a young man at the nursing home entrance requesting to see you."

"To see me?" Prof. Sun was taken aback. It had been ages since anyone had sought him out.

The throngs of researchers who once clamored for his attention had long since forgotten the retired elder tucked away in this city nook.

"Perhaps these youngsters have hit a snag in developing a new weapon and, out of the blue, remembered me," he mused with a touch of bitterness, shaking his head.

The security guard outside chimed in, "The young man has brought a blueprint with him. He insists that once you've seen it, you'll definitely want to meet."

Interest sparked, Prof. Sun straightened his glasses with a hint of mischief in his voice, "What are these young people up to with their new experiments? I'm eager to see what they've got."

With Prof. Sun's consent, the security guard entered, presenting him with a document envelope.

Prof. Sun accepted the envelope with care and extracted a crumpled design blueprint.

"Why do these young people show so little regard for their scientific work?"

He frowned at the creased design and the lines that seemed more like doodles than precise drafts.

After scrutinizing the sketch, Prof. Sun was dumbfounded.

'Who came up with this weapon blueprint?'

In his nearly fifty-year career, he had never encountered such an innovative design philosophy!

The squiggly lines on the blueprint might have been mistaken for a child's scribbles.

Yet, the design concept within left the elderly man astounded.

"This blueprint's creator is nothing short of a genius! They've even incorporated futuristic technologies that are still theoretical. Some of the technical details are beyond even my comprehension!"

With a sharp turn, Prof. Sun addressed the staff behind him, his eyes still fixed on the chaotic lines, "Where is this individual? Bring them to me at once!"

His voice, tinged with astonishment, was nearly a bellow.

The revelation was staggering!

The unassuming sketch before him was brimming with advanced technologies not yet harnessed by mankind. Techniques still in their infancy were applied with masterful skill.

One could say that the architect of this sketch had seized the very lifeline of human civilization!

What sort of prodigy could conceive a blueprint so complex that even he struggled to grasp it fully?

"If these concepts are actualized, H Country's military technology will leap a decade ahead of the world. Can you grasp the magnitude of that? H Country will ascend, outstripping other nations by far!"

The sanatorium staff shared in the surprise, witnessing the professor's shock for the first time.

To him, it was merely another design sketch.

Half an hour later, a young man in a black trench coat arrived in the courtyard, escorted by the staff.

Prof. Sun straightened up, eyeing the newcomer with bewilderment, "Is this your work, this design sketch?"

"Yes, I should introduce myself. I'm Qin Feng." Qin Feng replied, nodding with a confident smile, standing before Prof. Sun with grace and ease.

"Hello," Prof. Sun managed, his mouth agape, a hint of disbelief in his eyes.

It was hard to fault his reaction; Qin Feng's appearance was the epitome of average.

Ordinary in looks, ordinary in dress, Qin Feng exuded an air of the everyday.

Yet, as if sensing the professor's thoughts, Qin Feng chuckled, "Prof. Sun, there's no need for such astonishment. I'm the one who drew the blueprint. And what's more, my mind holds many other complex designs. I intend to propose a trade with these blueprints."

Qin Feng hadn't told a single lie.

In the aftermath of the apocalypse, as a key member of S.H.I.E.L.D., he had indeed been privy to numerous advanced designs for future weaponry.

These designs were the brainchild of military scientists, who had rallied together post-apocalypse to create them.

A significant portion of the concepts in these blueprints originated from Prof. Sun himself.

However, Prof. Sun had not yet been rehired by the military, and he hadn't finished fleshing out these ideas.

"What kind of deal are you proposing?" Prof. Sun inquired with a composed demeanor.

A young man like Qin Feng showing up with such critical design blueprints surely indicated a desire for recognition or wealth.

Prof. Sun was confident he could meet Qin Feng's demands.

Despite no longer being active in his field, his influence in the scientific community and military circles remained substantial.

But the words that spilled from Qin Feng's lips next left Prof. Sun utterly aghast.

"I seek neither fame nor fortune. I want the segment of Dragon Bone that you unearthed from beneath the ocean ten years ago."

Qin Feng's declaration struck like lightning, drastically altering Prof. Sun's complexion. He was so startled that he leaped to his feet, exclaiming, "How could you possibly know about the Dragon Bone? What exactly are you?"

Prof. Sun was not only astonished but also filled with dread.

The Dragon Bone had been excavated from the depths of the ocean, thousands of meters down, on military orders a decade prior.

The quest for that relic had nearly wiped out the entire research squad. And while Prof. Sun had yet to extract any valuable insights from the Dragon Bone, his instincts screamed that it harbored an immense secret. Unraveling it could unleash a tidal wave of public scrutiny.

But such information was strictly classified. Aside from himself and a handful of seasoned colleagues, no one should have been aware of the Dragon Bone's existence.

How, then, did this young man come to know of it?